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Nimrud
In Worrals Goes East, Nimrud was an agent of British intelligence working for Major Kenton at Aleppo. For much of the book, he was assigned as a local guide for Worrals and Frecks. Kenton described him as an old servant, absolutely reliable and occupying a position as a sort of major domo. Although he had been in the service of Major Kenton for a long time, Nimrud would later tell Worrals that he had also once been a camel master for the archaeologist Professor Silas Blake. According to Kenton, Nimrud was an adopted name--his real name being unpronounceable. Of his nationality, Kenton stated that it was something even Nimrud probably didn't know himself and was probably a mix of the many races in the Levant. Nimrud had probably been born in a hareem although he claimed his father was a Russian from Georgia. He spoke many of the local languages and also fairly good English, although Kenton remarked that, as he had been taught in a mission school, his English had a "biblical flavour". A tough character, he swore mostly in Arabic, sometimes in Turkish, but in the book, the odd "by St Simon" can also be heard. Much of chapter II is given to a detailed description of Nimrud and his background. He was dressed in a levantine semi-military garb, partly the old Tcherkesses cavalry uniform as he used to serve in that unit. The appearance was "more suited to a musical comedy stage than real life", and included a tall Persian lambskin hat, bandoliers, high boots, a double barrelled pistol and a silver handled dagger. Frecks though he was a "perfectly gorgeous creature" and even Worrals was startled. Nimrud claimed to have had many wives whom he had bought and sold. His last wife had been paid for with five hundred dinars but he had been disappointed as she could not cook. He gave her to a seller of nuts in Baghdad and "there has been enmity between us ever since." Of his religion, Nimrud was evasive. When Worrals asked him, since he swore by God and the saints frequently, whether he was a Christian, Nimrud would only say, "There is but one God. He alone is the knower." As Worrals later observed, in a land of thirty religions, Nimrud was wise to keep his beliefs to himself. In the event, Nimrud proved to be an exceedingly useful and capable assistant to Worrals and Frecks, whether it was in working out a way to break into a warehouse, coaxing the truth from prisoners, or simply knowing people and finding one's way around in Aleppo and elsewhere. His warfighting skills and initiative would save the day during the "Battle of Wadi Omar" and it was his marksmanship which would bring down Brunowsky as he tried to escape. Still, Johns built in lots of friendly repartee and banter between him and Worrals and Frecks, with many a light-hearted moment. He was highly uncomfortable with flying, and could not run as fast as Frecks--he told her his legs were made for riding horses. Category:People Category:Worrals characters